A young woman who wasted police time by inventing a fictitious robbery has been fined £150.

Bingley magistrates' court heard that Adele Coggill, 20, of Nightingale Street, Lawkholme, made up a story of having been mugged in order to claim an emergency credit from the DSS.

Prosecutor Michael Wrigglesworth said: "At 1.50pm on May 10 she reported to Keighley police that she had been mugged in the street, that a knife had been held to her throat and she had handed over £170 cash. On May 12 she went to the DSS on Worth Way and asked for a crisis loan of £30. But the robbery had never occurred, and basically it was a scam to get money out of the DSS. On May 19 she was arrested and fully admitted making up the story as a way of getting money."

Glen Chivers, defending, said Coggill had received £69 in benefit for a fortnight, and had nothing left." Coggill was fined £150 and ordered to pay £60 costs.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.